GOP senator wants Flynn to testify on Russia ties

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Wednesday she wants former national security adviser Michael Flynn to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is investigating ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Collins, a member of the intelligence panel, also said campaign officials have been asked to preserve all records that might be relevant to the investigation.

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“We've asked all of the agencies and campaign officials involved to preserve all documents, all emails, all text messages that could be in any way relevant to the investigation,” Collins said in a radio interview with Maine Public.

Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and ranking Democrat Mark Warner of Virginia sent letters on Friday to more than a dozen federal agencies and individuals asking them to preserve information that could be relevant to the probe, as The Associated Press reported over the weekend.

Collins also said Wednesday she is open to issuing subpoenas for Donald Trump’s tax returns to determine whether the president has financial ties to Russia.

“I don't know whether we will need to do that,” she said. “If it's necessary to get to the answers, then I suspect that we would.”

Collins said she and other members of the Intelligence Committee would request that Flynn be called to testify as part of its larger investigation into Russia’s meddling in the presidential election.

Burr last week would not rule out the possibility of seeking testimony from Flynn, who resigned as Trump’s national security adviser after it became clear he misled Vice President Mike Pence about the nature of his pre-inauguration contacts with Russia’s ambassador, Sergey Kislyak.

"We will cast a wide net to look at individuals who can provide us additional insight into what went on," Burr told ABC News.

Meanwhile, the Republican chairman and top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), have sent a letter to the Trump administration asking that it turn over transcripts between Flynn and Kislyak.

Collins told Maine Public she is confident Senate investigators will "get to the bottom of" Russia’s involvement in the presidential election.

“We have very experienced staff that have the top level of security clearances," the senator said, "and we have very aggressive committee members.”